Bio-sensitized solar cells built from renewable carbon sources

Villarreal, Claudia C.; Monge, Stephanie; Aguilar, Dariana; Tames, Alexandra; Araya, Natalia; Aguilar, Manuel Jiménez; Ramakrishna, Seeram; Thavasi, Velmurugan; Song, Zhaoning; Mulchandani, Ashok; Renugopalakrishnan, V.

doi:10.1016/j.mtener.2021.100910

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 174 publications

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“…One such technology is the fabrication of sensitized solar cells based on biological proteins as sensitizers, also known as bio-sensitized solar cells (BSSCs). However, BSSC technology faces many challenges to become commercially competitive, including the enhancement of photocurrent generation, improvement of conversion efficiencies, flexibility, scaling, and long-term stability [ 58 , 85 , 86 , 87 ]. Many BSSC studies only report the photocurrent of the cells studied, and do not include more detailed studies on conversion efficiencies, and rarely demonstrate stability over time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While liquid electrolytes have certain desirable characteristics such as improved wettability of the cell, redox mediator solubility, and greater electrode surface contact, there are many practical issues such as leakage, desorption of the sensitized dye (or protein), and toxicity of many of the most common liquid electrolytes used, along with increased rates of recombination events leading to decreased amounts of electrons available to reduce the photosensitizer [ 18 , 43 , 77 , 78 , 82 , 102 ]. Gel- and solid-based conductive electrolytes have been an area of much interest to attempt to address these deficiencies and have also been shown to aid in the reduction of charge recombination at TiO 2 /dye/electrolyte interfaces [ 16 , 87 , 103 ] and to improve the mechanical strength of the fabricated cells. In the results of this study, we found that utilization of a PEG-based gel electrolyte yielded a greater V OC and PCE than a liquid-based system.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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PEDOT-Carbon Nanotube Counter Electrodes and Bipyridine Cobalt (II/III) Mediators as Universally Compatible Components in Bio-Sensitized Solar Cells Using Photosystem I and Bacteriorhodopsin

Teodor

Monge

Aguilar

et al. 2022

IJMS

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In nature, solar energy is captured by different types of light harvesting protein–pigment complexes. Two of these photoactivatable proteins are bacteriorhodopsin (bR), which utilizes a retinal moiety to function as a proton pump, and photosystem I (PSI), which uses a chlorophyll antenna to catalyze unidirectional electron transfer. Both PSI and bR are well characterized biochemically and have been integrated into solar photovoltaic (PV) devices built from sustainable materials. Both PSI and bR are some of the best performing photosensitizers in the bio-sensitized PV field, yet relatively little attention has been devoted to the development of more sustainable, biocompatible alternative counter electrodes and electrolytes for bio-sensitized solar cells. Careful selection of the electrolyte and counter electrode components is critical to designing bio-sensitized solar cells with more sustainable materials and improved device performance. This work explores the use of poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (PEDOT/CNT) as counter electrodes and aqueous-soluble bipyridine cobaltII/III complexes as direct redox mediators for both PSI and bR devices. We report a unique counter electrode and redox mediator system that can perform remarkably well for both bio-photosensitizers that have independently evolved over millions of years. The compatibility of disparate proteins with common mediators and counter electrodes may further the improvement of bio-sensitized PV design in a way that is more universally biocompatible for device outputs and longevity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

PEDOT-Carbon Nanotube Counter Electrodes and Bipyridine Cobalt (II/III) Mediators as Universally Compatible Components in Bio-Sensitized Solar Cells Using Photosystem I and Bacteriorhodopsin

Teodor

Monge

Aguilar

et al. 2022

IJMS

Self Cite

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“…Thus, this study examines the potential for substantial effects on agricultural productivity and the preservation of the environment. By harnessing renewable energy, such as solar panels, to power various aspects of growing mushrooms, it is possible to significantly reduce the carbon emissions historically associated with conventional energy sources [24]. The innovative system innovation aligns perfectly with India's commitment to reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

IoT-Based Mushroom Cultivation System with Solar Renewable Energy Integration: Assessing the Sustainable Impact of the Yield and Quality

Rukhiran,

Sutanthavibul,

Boonsong

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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The conventional method of mushroom cultivation can be labor-intensive and produce limited yields. Due to the humidity and temperature in the summer season, mushroom production is significantly diminished. The growth of each mushroom species depends on the consistency of care, the skill of experienced farmers, and crucial cultivation parameters such as temperature, humidity, irrigation, and exposure to sunlight. This study aims to implement an IoT-enabled cultivation system to control and monitor the environmental parameters of Indian mushroom cultivation within the proposed innovative framework, as compared to conventional methods. The IoT-based cultivation system consists of hardware components, circuit connections, software, and algorithms. This study confirms that consistent control of environmental parameters, such as temperature and relative humidity, by a dynamic climate promotes mushroom growth that is superior to conventional cultivation. Our findings reveal a substantial increase in the yield and quality of mushrooms, demonstrating the tangible advantages of applying an innovative approach. Traditional cultivation yielded an average of 4.118 kg, whereas IoT-based cultivation systems produced an average of 5.306 kg. The t-test statistic comparing yields has highlighted the significance of the observed differences with a p-value of 0.0000. The research contributions are to design and demonstrate the IoT-enabled system innovation with solar renewable energy, illustrating the effect of mushroom production and quality on the economic market analysis of mushroom cultivation in the direction of environmentally sustainable and green agricultural practices. This study’s comprehensive perspective can provide farmers, agricultural professionals, and policymakers with valuable insights regarding the future of mushroom cultivation, particularly the reduction of carbon emissions and energy consumption.

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“…Such hybrid assemblies can be considered one of the pathways aimed at obtaining a “green” device for efficient energy conversion [ 9 ]. Indeed, a biomimetic solar cell, in which the photoactive medium is composed of photosynthetic reaction centers, could be a promising solution for conversion and storage of the sunlight energy [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. This concept is based on the fact that photosynthetic complexes, being evolutionarily optimized for over three billion years, are highly efficient photochemical devices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spectral Dependence of the Energy Transfer from Photosynthetic Complexes to Monolayer Graphene

Szalkowski

Surrente

Wiwatowski

et al. 2022

IJMS

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Fluorescence excitation spectroscopy at cryogenic temperatures carried out on hybrid assemblies composed of photosynthetic complexes deposited on a monolayer graphene revealed that the efficiency of energy transfer to graphene strongly depended on the excitation wavelength. The efficiency of this energy transfer was greatly enhanced in the blue-green spectral region. We observed clear resonance-like behavior for both a simple light-harvesting antenna containing only two chlorophyll molecules (PCP) and a large photochemically active reaction center associated with the light-harvesting antenna (PSI–LHCI), which pointed towards the general character of this effect.

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Bio-sensitized solar cells built from renewable carbon sources

Cited by 11 publications

References 174 publications

PEDOT-Carbon Nanotube Counter Electrodes and Bipyridine Cobalt (II/III) Mediators as Universally Compatible Components in Bio-Sensitized Solar Cells Using Photosystem I and Bacteriorhodopsin

PEDOT-Carbon Nanotube Counter Electrodes and Bipyridine Cobalt (II/III) Mediators as Universally Compatible Components in Bio-Sensitized Solar Cells Using Photosystem I and Bacteriorhodopsin

IoT-Based Mushroom Cultivation System with Solar Renewable Energy Integration: Assessing the Sustainable Impact of the Yield and Quality

Spectral Dependence of the Energy Transfer from Photosynthetic Complexes to Monolayer Graphene

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